Perspectives on zinc-based flow batteries

Zinc-based flow battery technologies are regarded as a promising solution for distributed energy storage. Nevertheless, their upscaling for practical applications is still confronted with challenges, e.g., dendritic zinc and limited areal capacity in anodes, relatively low power density, and reliability. In this perspective, we first review the development of battery components, cell stacks, and demonstration systems for zinc-based flow battery technologies from the perspectives of both fundamental research and engineering applications. The remaining challenges as well as the perspective for zinc-based flow battery technologies are also briefly discussed. We hope this perspective can help researchers and the community to recognize and understand the status of currently developed zinc-based flow batteries and their limitations as well as advancements in different perspectives, further directing future efforts to enhance their performance effectively.